The 17th edition of INTERPOM | PRIMEURS will be held from Sunday 23 to Tuesday 25 November 2014 in
Kortrijk Xpo (Belgium).
INTERPOM | PRIMEURS is the leading indoor trade fair for the potato, fruit and
vegetable sector in Europe. The whole chain will be represented here, from growing to processing and
marketing. A highly specialised trade fair, INTERPOM | PRIMEURS just keeps on expanding and is also
growing more and more international. This year’s event is looking stronger than ever and will be focusing on
sustainability, under the slogan of ‘Together for sustainable growth’.
Strong growth figures and continuing internationalisation
Past editions of INTERPOM | PRIMEURS have shown outstanding growth figures. In 2012 the event
welcomed 258 exhibitors from 15 different countries (+14%) and surpassed all expectations by pulling in
17 678 visitors (+25.7%) from 36 countries worldwide.
And once again, this positive trend is continuing. With 6 months still to go before the opening, we already have 220 exhibitors signed up and the exhibition area
booked is already larger than at the last event. In a growth market, a strong trade fair like INTERPOM |
PRIMEURS is a must-do event for everyone who wants to keep up with developments in the sector and
discover the latest innovations. INTERPOM | PRIMEURS plays an important role as a meeting place, a
source of inspiration as businesses present innovative technologies for the potato, vegetable and fruit sector,
and a platform for the exchange of information.
Every two years, our event’s full range of exhibits, sharply
focused specialization and emphasis on quality, plus the professional and yet friendly atmosphere, succeed
in drawing more and more visitors to Kortrijk, from Europe and increasingly from other continents as well.
Opinion polls held among visitors in 2012 revealed that INTERPOM | PRIMEURS certainly came up to
expectations: no less than 96% of visitors indicated that they would also visit the 2014 event.
INTERPOM | PRIMEURS theme: ‘Together for sustainable growth’
‘Together for sustainable growth’
Everyone is talking about sustainability but some people are not too sure about what it actually entails. Many sustainability projects have been introduced throughout the potato and vegetable sector and INTERPOM | PRIMEURS aims to help increase awareness of this subject.
Exhibitors will be offered an opportunity to put the spotlight on what their company does to support one or more of the 3 pillars of sustainability: ‘People, Planet & Profit’.
These projects will be highlighted in a ‘sustainability route’ on the exhibition floor presenting instructive case studies illustrating how sustainability can be put into practice. This initiative will also encourage businesses to include sustainability in their strategic policy making throughout the potato and vegetable sector.
Presentation of the Inno Potato Awards at INTERPOM | PRIMEURS
The Inno Potato Award is a competition rewarding innovations actually put into practice in an agricultural business. Belgian potato growers can present an innovation they have recently introduced in their business to their colleagues in the sector. The winners will not simply be chosen by their fellow potato growers.
The professional Inno Potato Award jury will allot 50% of the total marks and the visitors at INTERPOM | PRIMEURS 2014 will decide the other 50%. The awards will be presented on the last day of the fair. The winners will receive a cheque for 1 500, 1 000 or 750 EUR provided by the Flemish and Walloon governments.
Full details of the competition can found on the website www.innopotato.be. Potato growers can register to enter the competition up to 10 June 2014.
Seminar on the equivalence of quality control systems for potato, vegetable and fruit growers
For more than a decade, the Belgian horticultural sector has been deploying its Vegaplan, a quality system for food and plant safety and environmental protection that is recognised by both the authorities and users. A striking feature is the ‘bottom-up’ approach whereby the primary sector works together with purchasers to develop the system further.
In 2014 the Vegaplan standard expanded to include sustainability and integrated pest management (IPM). Certification under the Vegaplan thus became a pioneer in guaranteeing sustainability and health safety in the growing and processing of fruit and vegetables.
But potatoes and vegetables move beyond national frontiers and this is why our quality control system and those of our main neighbours have to be interchangeable. Consequently, the Dutch Food Safety Certificate for Potatoes and Arable Farming, the German QS and the Belgian Vegaplan are all recognised as equivalent. Structural consultation has been launched between the partners to this end.
An international seminar on how this international cooperation should evolve will be held on Monday 24 November 2014 at 9.30 am in the Kortrijk Meeting Centre adjacent to the exhibition premises.
A dynamic platform for the exchange of information
With its home base in Kortrijk (Xpo), INTERPOM | PRIMEURS is held in the heart of a dynamic and expanding potato, vegetable and fruit market. This is the perfect place to make new contacts and reinforce links with colleagues and suppliers in Belgium and abroad, to exchange ideas and share information in a sector with a rosy future. Note the date in your diary straight away!
INTERPOM PRIMEURS is an initiative of Belgapom, the official trade association of the Belgian potato growers and processors. The practical organisation is in the capable hands of Kortrijk Xpo.
